Charges Against Former Stockton Mayor Include Embezzlement, Misappropriation Of Public Funds

Update March 3, 11:55 a.m.: Former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva is facing felony charges ranging from embezzlement to money laundering. The arrest warrant came after a search of his home and the Stockton Kids Club.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is not commenting on the arrest warrant, but the warrant lists misuse of public funds, embezzlement, grand larceny, and money laundering.

Silva’s attorney N. Allen Sawyer says a receipt of the search warrant makes it obvious what authorities were seeking.

“I didn’t get the receipt for the Kids Club but the receipt for his home purely focused on financial records,” says Sawyer.

Sawyer also says Silva and a board of directors operate the non-profit club.

Silva is in Colombia on vacation and Sawyer says he spoke to him and described him as angry and says he is cutting his vacation short.

“No vacation would be very enjoyable knowing that you have this problem that you have to deal with when you come home," says Sawyer. "He wants to come back to Stockton and deal with it as soon as possible.”

The arrest warrant put Silva’s bail at $1 million.

Silva still faces misdemeanor charges in Amador County for an audio recording on his cell phone of a strip poker game at a youth camp.

Silva posted on his social media profile Wednesday that he was out of the country. It appears he is not in custody. The bail for Silva has been set at $1 million.

His lawyer Allen Sawyer said the search warrant at Silva's home only went after financial records. Sawyer said Silva was angry about the new charges. He is currently facing misdemeanor charges in Amador County for allegedly recording a strip poker game involving teenagers and providing alcohol to minors.

Sawyer says Silva will cut short his vacation in Columbia and return home to face the latest charges and will be making arrangements Friday.

Silva was formerly director of the Stockton Boys and Girls Club, where officials conducted a search Thursday. The group lost its affiliation and Silva formed the Stockton Kids Club, which also has a board of directors and is set up as a non-profit. The Kids Club was also searched.

Original Post: There's more legal trouble for former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva.

Also, the San Joaquin County DA's office conducted a search of the Kids Club of Stockton and Silva's home.

Silva was president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Stockton when it lost its charter in 2013. It was later re-branded as the Kids Club.

Attorneys for Silva told the paper the warrant is for financial crimes.

Silva is already facing misdemeanor charges in Amador County. He's accused of recording a strip poker game involving teenagers at a summer camp he helped run. He's also accused of providing alcohol to minors.

Silva posted a message on his Facebook page Wednesday saying he was planning to explore the world. He stated on the post, "I am leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again." (The post was deleted as of Thursday night).

As the Central Valley correspondent, Rich Ibarra covers San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced counties, along with the foothill areas including Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. He covers politics, the economy and issues affecting the region. Read Full Bio